Written Answers

Tuesday 26 June 2001

Scottish Executive

Agriculture

Tavish Scott (Shetland) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive when it will publish the strategy for Scottish agriculture.

Ross Finnie: I will be launching this strategy later this morning in a document entitled A Forward Strategy for Scottish Agriculture . This document is the result of a process I started in April last year with the publication of a discussion document designed to stimulate debate on the future direction of farming in Scotland. The strategy was drawn up by a steering group whose members were drawn from a wide range of backgrounds covering agriculture, food, consumer, environment and other rural interests.

  The strategy document sets out the steering group’s vision for a prosperous farming industry based on producing what the consumer wants, playing a major role in sustainable rural development, protecting and enhancing the environment and embracing change and opportunity. It reaffirms the Executive’s commitment to continue to support the agriculture industry in Scotland and sets out 54 action points to be taken forward in partnership by the Executive, the industry and various other bodies which have a role to play in shaping the future of farming. It also contains case studies giving examples of good practice which have helped individual businesses to prosper.

  A copy of this document is available in the Parliament’s Reference Centre.

Community Care

Mary Scanlon (Highlands and Islands) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive when it will address any inconsistencies in charges for non-residential care across local authorities.

Malcolm Chisholm: We have recently sought views on our proposals to address this issue in our consultation paper Better Care for all our futures , available from the Parliament's Reference Centre and the Scottish Executive website.

Health

Mary Scanlon (Highlands and Islands) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive how it will support Local Health Care Co-operatives in increasing the provision of directly managed services such as learning disabilities services, drug and alcohol services and community mental health teams.

Susan Deacon: Local Health Care Co-operatives have a vital role in working in partnership with other agencies and with patients/local communities to plan and deliver service improvements at a local level, and we will announce shortly proposals for strengthening the role of LHCCs.

Health

Mary Scanlon (Highlands and Islands) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive why there is a variation from £70 to £140 per head of population in the prescribing budget available to each Local Health Care Co-operative and how this variation, as reported in the Audit Scotland Local Health Care Co-operatives Bulletin May 2001, affects the health of patients.

Susan Deacon: It is for health boards/Primary Care Trusts to set, from their Unified Budget, prescribing budgets for Local Health Care Co-operatives on the basis of the need they identify in the local population. There is no evidence to suggest that differences in prescribing budgets between LHCCs adversely affect the health of patients. GPs have a duty to provide the necessary and appropriate treatment determined by patients’ clinical need.

  The figures quoted in the Audit Scotland Local Health Care Co-operatives Bulletin are not standardised for age/sex distribution of population or adjusted in any other way to reflect local need.

Health

Mary Scanlon (Highlands and Islands) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive what the optimum size is for a Local Health Care Co-operative board and whether any existing boards are too large to work effectively.

Susan Deacon: Local Health Care Co-operatives (LHCCs) are established on a voluntary basis and their size reflects the perceived boundaries of their local community. We do not think there is a "right size". The guiding principle is whether LHCCs are able to develop and deliver services effectively to meet the needs of their communities.

  The LHCC Best Practice Group Report, published in April this year, highlighted that some LHCCs are more robust than others and that in some areas there is a need for more support from the local health care system for their further development. We will announce shortly proposals for strengthening the role of LHCCs in response to the Best Practice Group Report.

Health

Mrs Margaret Ewing (Moray) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how many specialist consultants in each health board area are allocated to the treatment of stroke victims.

Susan Deacon: The information requested is not available centrally. It is a matter for health boards and Trusts to assess and provide for local needs and to determine the staffing levels required for effective service delivery.

Health

Mrs Margaret Ewing (Moray) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what proportion of the NHSiS budget is spent on the treatment of stroke victims.

Susan Deacon: This information is not available centrally.

Health

Mary Scanlon (Highlands and Islands) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive how it will ensure that all Local Health Care Co-operatives have dedicated public health support.

Susan Deacon: The Scottish Executive is creating the new role of Public Health Practitioner in each Local Health Care Co-operative and in the Island Health Boards. The development of these new practitioners is being overseen by the Public Health Institute for Scotland as part of their role in developing the public health workforce. £3.6 million per annum has been made available from the Health Improvement Fund to fund these new posts.

Learning Disabilities

Tricia Marwick (Mid Scotland and Fife) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-15595 by Malcolm Chisholm on 11 June 2001, whether it will detail the actual or estimated cost to each local authority of transferring patients from long-stay hospital accommodation to community care and the amount of Revenue Support Grant allocated or planned to be allocated to each local authority for this purpose for each year from 1999 to 2004.

Malcolm Chisholm: The cost to local authorities of patients transferring to community care depends on the needs of the individuals concerned, the cost of services provided or purchased by the authority, whether a resource transfer is involved and, if so, how much, the individuals’ contribution including pensions from DSS and other DSS benefits. The allocations of Grant Aided Expenditure (GAE) to local authorities for social work in each of the years 1999-2000 to 2003-04 are £1,101 million, £1,144 million, £1,256 million, £1,317 million and £1,392 million respectively. Details of allocations of elements to individual authorities up to the current year are contained the GAE Green Book . Copies are available in the Parliament’s Reference Centre (Bib. no. 12261).

Learning Disabilities

Tricia Marwick (Mid Scotland and Fife) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-15595 by Malcolm Chisholm on 11 June 2001, what methodology and calculations were used to determine the level at which change funds were set in order to make a significant impact over the first three years of implementing the recommendations of the disability services review and what its definition is of a significant impact.

Malcolm Chisholm: The change funds of £36 million for learning disability services were obtained as an outcome of the Spending Review 2000. The increase of £16 million in the third year is a significant increase on local authority current spending of around £160 million a year, identified in The same as you?

Rail Services

Bristow Muldoon (Livingston) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive whether working arrangements for the process to renew the Scottish passenger rail franchise have been agreed with the Strategic Rail Authority and the Strathclyde Passenger Transport Authority.

Sarah Boyack: The Scottish Executive, the Strategic Rail Authority (SRA) and Strathclyde Passenger Transport Authority (SPTA) have approved a Memorandum of Understanding which provides a practical framework for the Executive, the SRA and SPTA to work together during the re-letting procedure.

  I am placing a copy in the Parliament’s Reference Centre (Bib. no. 14453). Additional copies are available in the Document Supply Centre.

Roads

Irene Oldfather (Cunninghame South) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive on what days, at what times and how often Amey Highways Ltd is required to cut the grass verges of the A78 trunk road at Stevenston.

Sarah Boyack: The contract specification for cutting the grass verges of the A78 trunk road at Stevenston requires that, following the first cut in spring, the grass should be maintained at a height of between 50 mm to 70 mm during the growing season. It is normal for the first spring cut to take place in May or June although the precise timing of this work is a matter for Amey Highways Ltd.

Roads

Christine Grahame (South of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it or Amey Highways Ltd is responsible for any consents or guidance on the placing of bunting, banners and flags across and alongside trunk roads during common ridings and gala weeks.

Sarah Boyack: Amey Highways Ltd, as agent for the Scottish Executive, is responsible for consents and providing guidance to those wishing to place bunting, banners and flags across and alongside trunk roads.

Transport

Mr Kenny MacAskill (Lothians) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what the cost to date has been of converting its vehicles to liquid petroleum gas.

Angus MacKay: The Scottish Executive has purchased 86 dual fuelled vehicles which run on either liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) or unleaded petrol. All modifications took place prior to purchase. The total cost of conversion was £154,092, an average of £1,792 per vehicle. LPG is a cheaper and more environmentally friendly alternative to unleaded petrol.